Black Bean Soup

This is one of Hallie's recipes. We were talking about how I can't make beans. Like from dried beans. I always buy canned. She forwarded me three recipes that all use dry beans and this is the first one that I tried and it turned out terrific!

16 oz dry black beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
1 box chicken broth
3 large carrots, cut into bite sized pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 jar of salsa
1 envelope of taco seasoning (or 2 Tbsp of this seasoning recipe)

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Drain beans and give them a rinse. Combine beans with remaining ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on LOW all day or on HIGH for 5 hours or until beans are tender. Add water during cook time if beans look like they are getting dry.

Once done, take 1/3 of the mixture and puree it in a blender. Make sure to vent the lid a tad since the mixture is hot. And hold onto the lid. (I once had a terrible mess after blending a corn soup that was really hot.) Just trust me on this.

Pour the puree back into the soup to thicken it. Serve in bowls topped with shredded cheese, cilantro, diced avocado, and sour cream.

Make this Jalapeno Cornbread to go with it. Warm and filling soup for the fall season.